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tv   MSNBC Live  MSNBC  March 18, 2013 8:00am-9:00am PDT

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retty conservative. very logical thinker. (laughs) i'm telling you right now, the girl back at home would absolutely not have taken a zip line in the jungle. (screams) i'm really glad that girl stayed at home. vo: expedia helps 30 million travelers a month find what they're looking for. one traveler at a time. expedia. find yours. but how good are they for the rest of your face?
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thought. the way we communicate our principles isn't resonating widely enough. focus groups described our party as narrow-minded. out of touch. and, quote, stuffy old men. >> out of nearly 100 pages, let's take a look at three main parts of this overall. $10 million minority outreach. two, an election to tap into election funds faster. and three, fewer presidential debates. a move designed keep party candidates from cannibalizing one another before facing off against their opponent. >> we know we have problems. we've identified them and we're implementing the solutions to fix them. >> so will the rnc's reboot fall flat with the present and future? at last week's conservative confab. take a look.
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>> we're not here to rebuild a party. we're here to rebuild a country. >> if standing for liberty and if standing for the constitution makes you a whack-a-bird, count me a proud whack-a-bird. >> i can my fellow republicans to think about what you can do. >> joining me now is henry barbour who helped compile this report. let's talk about this, henry barbour. the report itself is pretty scathing. it talks about a lot of things that could have been done differently as we look back on 2012. but one of the bigger things is about comprehensive immigration reform. how are people in this country supposed to believe in comprehensive immigration reform from the republican party, when just a short time ago, we were hearing from mitt romney about self-departation? >> hey, thomas, it's good to be with you. if you think about it president
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reagan and president bush, 43, are the last two american presidents who pushed comprehensive immigration reform. so, you know, immigration reform is -- has to deal with economic opportunity and growth. and that is very consistent with republican economic policies. so it's something that where i disagreed with governor romney's position on that. but we've got to move forward. and certainly as a committee, we did call on the republicans in congress to come up with a solution that's comprehensive, dealing with immigration reform. we're not trying to say, look, we want to tell republicans in congress what exactly needs to be in the legislation. but we have got to deal with this issue. >> one thing, henry, from the rnc report about that exact issue saying young voter, increasingly rolling their eyes with what the party believes. when someone rolls their eyes at us, they're not likely to open their ears to us. that's again to younger voters.
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another thing important to younger voters is the issue of marriage equality. we had senator rob portman come out for marriage equality because one of his children is gay. this is how priebus responded to senator portman. take a listen. >> i think senator portman made some pretty big inroads last week. but, you know, i think it's about being decent. i think it's about dignity and respect that nobody deserves to have their dignity diminished. or people don't deserve to be disrespected. >> so people don't deserve to be disrespected but the party itself does not foundationally and doesn't seem to want to support marriage equality. how do you think you'll be able to, at least using this report, try to focus on attracting an lbgt contingent to what the rnc represents? >> well, thomas, certainly what we have to do as a party, we need to draw the party by addition, not subtraction or division. and one of the things that we have to understand is, we're not
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going to agree on every issue. whether it's a social issue or economic issues. it's okay to disagree. group think say loser. purity in politics say loser. number one, look, i'm pro-life. i'm pro-traditional marriage personally. but that doesn't make me anti-gay or opposed to a pro-choice person being a good republican. and that's the sort of big tent approach that we have to have as a party if we want to elect a republican party of the 50 states. >> one thing when you talk about being a big tent party, it is about getting out there with minority outreach. but one of the casualties of this autopsy, looking back, and certainly voter suppression was a big issue. especially concerning the state of florida when we were ramping back to november. take a listen to reince on that issue. >> we believe it should be easy for anyone to vote and hard to cheat. >> hen rick, how do you respond
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to that easy to vote, hard to cheat. when you bring up the voter suppression efforts like in the state of florida, it was more about making voting a privilege for a few than being a right for many? >> i'm not sure, thomas, that i agree with you on that. but we certainly want people to be able to vote. we want people to participate in the election process. that's really important. people need to be engaged in that process. and one of the things that reince talks about is the republicans engaging in minority community, black, hispanic, asian, going into those communities and not sending a postcard six weeks before the election. that's what he talked about, investing $10 million with the rnc this year, for republicans to engage in those communities. i think that's the sort of thing i wouldn't even call it outreach. i think engagement is the right word. we've got to be involved in those communities and we want to see those communities involved in the party. >> henry barbour, one of the co-chairs of the rnc autopsy report. >> thanks.
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>> we have msnbc contributor perry macon and ben labolt the former obama press secretary for the 2012 campaign. and contributor and republican strategic susan del percio. i want to start with the breaking news at the back end of the last hour regarding hillary clinton coming out for marriage equality in a video that's just breen leased on the human rights campaign website. take a listen to part of it. >> a little over a year ago in geneva, i told the nations of the world that gay rights are human rights. and human rights are gay rights. and that the united states would be a leader in defending those rights. now, there were some countries that did not want to hear that. but i believe america is at its best. when we champion the freedom and dignity of every human being. >> ben, i want to start with you, your reaction with this. let's remind everybody that the
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clintons are going in order here with the former president asking the supreme court to strike down doma. and now on the heels that, hillary clinton coming out in support of marriage equality. >> well that's right. i think most people assumed that secretary clinton was for it. but she wasn't in a political position in the administration. i don't think you'll see any viable democratic candidate in 2016 who's going to make it through the primary oppose gay marriage. you saw rush by governors like o'malley and cuomo to stay they supported it. the vice president. even after the announcement of senator portman and all these republican consultants you simply can't be a democratic candidate in 2016 and oppose same-sex marriage. >> susan, your reaction to this. again, this is on the heels of the fact that rob portman made this fantastic declaration of how he supports his kid and wants him to be able to achieve marriage equality in the country. a big tauurnaround in the republican party.
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this is huge for hillary clinton. >> i agree with ben 100%. no democrat in the 2016 campaign is going to be opposed to marriage equality. before this, she was not pro-marriage equality. now, she's come out for it, i think that's great. like you mentioned, senator portman coming out was a great thing this week. >> i love how we get to say all these people are coming out, you know. i'm glad these people are coming out and going through all this. it's hard to step up and be accounted for. perry, how do you think washington will react to this? again, i point out the history here, hillary clinton would not be able to come out for marriage equality so forcefully as she is now, if is wasn't for the fact that president clinton came out with his own legacy with what doma means. >> also important that president obama came out with gay marriage leading democrats in the direction as well. i would also note this is the
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first thing that hillary clinton has said in public since she left the secretary of state's office. this is a significant moment for her. this is her first big issue. the fact that she's taken on this issue tells you a lot about what she's thinking. probably telling you she's still thinking about 2016 run for president. and also this issue is important to make it the first one she declares after he moves from a nonpolitical role to a more political role to the secretary of state's office. >> let's talk about 2016. and the fact that we were looking and discussing the results of the autopsy report for the rnc. and reince priebus was asked specifically about the type of candidate that would be most viable. take a listen. >> does the 2016 republican presidential nominee have to speak spanish? >> i don't think so. but, listen, it's a tremendous benefit. it's a tremendous asset to be able to have. >> susan, what do you think about that, marco rubio, rising star within the party, gave the rebuttal.
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we all know the watergate moment there. what do you think about reince saying that, especially when compressive reform is part of the autopsy report? >> obviously, it would be a plus. more important what he said about that we can agree 80% of the time. and just because we disagree 20% of the time doesn't make you my enemy. i think the republicans have to, instead of talking wrab they're going to spend money and how they're going to do it, just stop creating this litmus test. stop worrying about what happens to a woman's body. create a path of citizenship for people in america. finally, we shouldn't prevent people from voting we should open up those gates and make sure people have the opportunity to vote. >> meanwhile, timingwise, this autopsy is coming out on the heels of cpac closing up. two very different narratives, two very different messages are emerging this monday morning. take a look at how some of the
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stars on the right are are going after each other. >> the architects can head on back to -- they can head on back to the great lone star state and put their name on some ballot. >> i would think i'm a particularly good candidate, sort of a balding fat guy. second of all, i'd say if i did run for office and win, i'd serve out my term. >> so, ben, no love lost between karl rove and sarah palin. how quickly do you think reince priebus and folks at rnc want to get stars like rove and palin and moving forward? >> well, if sarah palin wins this fight, i think you'll see the republican party in tatters like it was during the goldwater days. you're laying the groundwork for somebody like rand paul to win the iowa caucus us. chairman priebus made all the right recommendations. i would have gone further and said challenge your electorate.
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challenge your base. open up those primaries to independents. then you'll get republican candidates incentive to run to the center instead of to the right of rand paul. if those candidates win out you'll see democrats do very well in the midterms and four years. >> real quick guys, element number four of the cpac straw poll it puts rand paul in at 25%. marco rubio at 23%. so we have a leader there. our power panel, perry bacon, ben labolt, susan del percio. thank you. university of central florida's main campus in orlando will reopen and classes will resume at noon eastern time. the campus was shut down, hundreds of students were evacuated after a body, weapons and explosives were found in a dorm room. authorities say the male found in this room appears to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
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a handgun and explosive devices were found in that room. coming your way next, president obama heads to the middle east tomorrow night with no big agenda for the trip. but this more symbolic than it is about the substance? and then former governor bill richardson joins me here in the studio to talk about that trip plus -- >> pure raw emotion after two ohio teen, convicted of rape. both could spend at least a year in juvenile jail. the trial, it might be over but the investigation of this case is not. the question of the day four, now that you've heard more about the rnc autopsy, will the gop makeover work? @thomasroberts on facebook. zap. it's our fastest and easiest way to get you into your car. it's just another way you'll be traveling at the speed of hertz. ♪
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this week his first police are finalizing security plans. hundreds of security personnel are being deployed for the presidential visit. >> there's a large amount of cooperation which is also taking place between the israeli police and american security. and this is the most important visit that has taken place since president bush's visit in 2009. >> but some israelis are upset that president obama has not been there sooner and questions his modern-day motives. >> he's probably one of the most anti-israel presidents, certainly, in my lifetime. i see it not so much as a goodwill visit as a carrot and a stick situation, it's the stick. instead of coming to make order. >> carrot and stick. joining me now is former new mexico governor and ambassador bill richardson.
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politico is pointing out 9 the trip talking about it this way, symbolic on steroids. is this the approach, carrot or the stick? >> well, israel is most important in the middle east. the president hasn't been there. and the relationship with prime minister benjamin netanyahu has been frayed a little bit. so it's an important reinforcement, symbolic visit. but i think the president's also going to talk about a middle east peace package. about laying the groundwork for that. he's going to meet with the palestinians. he's going to meet with the king of jordan. push, i think, the israeli people in that direction. so it's more than symbolism. it's reinforcing a very strong relationship. we have to talk to israel about what's happening in syria, the iran situation. so on many fronts it's a useful, positive trip but no big break. >> especially when it comes to
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geopolitical relationships here's what president obama had to say last week on his radio tv with his relationship with bebe netanyahu. >> we've got a terrific relationship. he's very blunt with me on issues, and i'm very blunt with him about issues and we get stuff done. >> blunt? the trip is going to highlight talks with netanyahu. but the speech in jerusalem, more to be done with visiting with mahmoud abbas as well. could this be obama helping to set up secretary of state john kerry for what you talk about is the larger issue of peace negotiations down the line? >> yes, and i believe secretary kerry is very committed to a middle east peace process. i think it's long overdue. and i think the president's got to give him the political cover that secretary kerry would need.
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and key is going to be the israeli public. and the relationship with president netanyahu. you know you what say candid or business-like in diplomacy, it means that it's not a perfect relationship. but, you know, a lot of leaders, they develop this relationship. a better relationship, over time, and i think that's what the president is doing. >> so as long as the business relationship can produce positive business results it's a good thing. let's talk about iran. the nuclear issue that's a top issue for president obama's agenda. on friday, defense secretary chuck hagel said there are these plans to beef up missiles after north korea said it was going to be trying to have its preemptive nuclear strike against the u.s. or launch one. you recently visited north korea. kim jong-un. what do you make of their aspirations towards their nuclear program, and what it means for us here in the u.s.? >> well i've been to north korea many times, but you still can't figure out what's going on with the new leader. the bad side is that he's making
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a lot of negative, provocative statements. the north koreans going out there and being very threatening. i think it makes sense for secretary hagel to say we're prepared. we're going to shift some of those interceptors to north korea. away from building in towards and against russia, which makes sense, which may help our american-russian relationship which is key in what we're trying to do with sanctions with iran. i think all in all, it makes sense with what the new secretary of defense is doing with north korea. >> what do you make of the public appearance of dennis rodman going there with kim jong-un, going back, doing the sunday talkers saying he doesn't want war. wants to speak with the president? >> well, you know, rodman got in to see kim jong-un, i couldn't. i went with eric schmidt at google. i don't think it was serious diplomacy. but i don't want to diminish rodman. it could be that the weight of this new leader is through
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nontraditional diplomacy. ngos. >> former chicago bulls? >> well, i won't say a sports person, but, you know, we need to talk to this guy. and he, i think, is unfortunately heading in the wrong direction. so i hope some diplomacy emerges after we put on these sanctions which i support. after we say, look, there's going to be a cost for all of this bellicose rhetoric and nuclear tests and the missile launches. i think they're gearing up for a big negotiation, the north koreans, where they say, look, you want us to stop this stuff. we want food, fuel, sanctions. >> right. >> some big grand bargain. i think that's what they're doing. but, you know, i've been there many times. i don't know what they're up to. >> great to sigh in person. coming up next. close not closed. two high schoolers convicted of
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raping a drunk 16-year-old girl. this investigation is not over. more charges could be coming. plus, actress lindsay lohan expected in an l.a. courtroom in just a few moments. she's facing charges over a car accident that happened last year. today's producer pick for you. a greek soccer player banned for life from his national team after giving a nazi salute while celebrating the goal. the greek football federal calling it a severe provocation. but the 20-year-old soccer player denies this was a nazi salute. you can hear more and tell me what you think about it on my facebook page. twins. i didn't see them coming. i have obligations. cute obligations, but obligations. i need to rethink the core of my portfolio. what i really need is sleep. introducing the ishares core, building blocks for the heart of your portfolio. find out why 9 out of 10 large professional investors choose ishares for their etfs. ishares by blackrock.
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16-year-old girl. on sunday, two high school football players were convicted of rape during that party. amplified by tweets, posting videos as well by social media. immediately before that judge issued that verdict, both defendants offered apologies. >> i'd like to apologize to [ bleep ] to my family and community. no pictures should have been sent out let alone taken. >> i'm sorry to put you guys through this. >> very emotional apologies. the judge still finding them guilty based on eyewitness testimony. hundreds of text messages about the attack and photos. one day later, explain how the family, the town, is moving on, because this is certainly been something that's trapped that town by this controversy because it was two star high school football players and that's such
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a big deal to steubenville. >> reporter: indeed, thomas. but they're not moving on so much because the attorney general is going to try to convene a grand jury beginning next month to look further into what happened. they're determined, as he said, to get to the bottom of this. it's clear that he thinks there are more people who should be held responsible for failure to report the crime. for perhaps aiding and abetting and assisting the convicted -- the boys who were convicted of committing the crime. there was a lot of teen age drinking that night. underage drinks, where the parents were, the adults. there was perhaps evidence destroyed. again, going back to social media. the teacher deleted texts, that could be tampering with evidence. there's still a lot to be uncovered here. i think most that we talked are satisfy that some measure of justice was done for the young girl known here as jane doe, but, of course, everybody knows
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who she is because it's a small town. talking to her family and her attorney, it's clear she still has a long way to go before recovering from this, ifs that the appropriate word. the two boys in juvenile detention could be until they're 21. so there's a comma here but not a period ending the whole case. >> ron, this whole case continues to bring in potentially more people for charges. does that mean they'll be talking to these two young men to potentially turn evidence on other people who were there who might lessen their sentencing? >> reporter: i think the most damning evidence in the case is still a lot of these text messages tharp out there. all the stuff that was found on social media. the investigators said they retrieved some 300,000 messages from about 17 cell phones and other devices. interestingly, though, the young girl's phone was never found. the victim, and one of the defendants, trent mays, his phone was found, but the other
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boy's wasn't. those messages essentially left a trail of what happened. so that could be one of the avenues for further investigation. >> nbc's ron allen reporting from steubenville, ohio. thank you, sir. going to bring you much more on the breaking news that we brought you at the top of the hour concerning former secretary of state hillary clinton making her first big move since leafing her post. and it's in support of marriage equality. >> lbgt americans are our colleagues, our teachers, our soldiers, our friends, our loved ones. and they are full and equal citizens and deserve the rights of citizenship. that includes marriage. that's why i support marriage for lesbian and gay couples. i support it personally and as a matter of policy and law. >> so the human rights campaign releasing that ad just a short time ago features mrs. clinton saying gays and lesbians deserve the right of marriage.
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nbc political editor mike murray joins me from washington. mike i just got an e-mail from mike griffin saying make sure we notice how hillary clinton says this is a matter of policy and law. and president clinton came out striking down doma. and this comes back to the logic step-taking on marriage equality. >> thomas, it's not surprising that hillary clinton did this. but not only is the cover on the move for gay marriage in the next four or five years but also we haven't seen hillary clinton on the political stage in the last four or five years and that's is why she never communicated on the matter. consistent with barack obama when he was campaigning. of course, barack obama made his shift during the 2012 presidential campaign. now, we're seeing hillary clinton make her shift. and it does end up stoking some type of speculation that this
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might be all apparent to lay the ground work for a potential 2016 bid. >> from a strategy standpoint, why do you think this was done in connection with the hrc, as opposed to that website. i don't know if it's up yet, with regard to collecting e-mail, but the website that they fired up? >> it just comes after rob portman made his news and support for gay marriage. he's the republican senator. but if hillary clinton does want to become president she would need to support gay marriage. >> mark, thank you. coming up next. a private jet crashes into a residential neighborhood killing at least two people. we bring you the details and the news now. plus, all in the family. wait till you hear how much political candidates are spending to hire their own family members.
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and ten years later, what the architects of the iraq war are saying now about that war. ♪ looking for a litter with natural ingredients that helps neutralize odors. discover tidy cats pure nature. uniquely formulated with cedar, pine, and corn. plays a key role throughout our lives. one a day men's 50+ is a complete multivitamin designed for men's health concerns as we age. it has 7 antioxidants to support cell health.
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and now that the campaign is under way, the president came on the air tonight a half hour ago to say this war could go on longer than a lot of people are saying. >> tomorrow marks ten years since the beginning of the u.s.-led invasion of iraq. a decade since the shock and awe of baghdad. ten years that have come with hindsight, with introspection. and little of it coming from those acknowledged as the arca detectives of that war until now. >> i have to say, i'm architect. if i'd been the architect, things would be have been different. >> that was paul wolfowitz.
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joining me now correspondent for the nbc correspondent, and the book "selling the iraq war." i want to play more of wolfowitz's response when he was asked if he would do it again. >> bottom line, would -- given what you know today, would you have done it again? >> might have -- i certainly would have done it differently, particularly with respect to counterinsurgency strategy. >> in an interview with the uk sunday time, wolfowitz went on to say that the war spiraled out of control. and the most consequential failure was to understand the tenacity. >> it's a remarkable piece of sound. in fact, if you listen closely, he started to say "might have" which would be an enormous
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concession on his part. first thing, we would have heard from any of the architects and let's be clear, paul wolfowitz was one of the most passionate and vigorous and influential advocates within the bush administration for the invasion of iraq. i think that qualifies him as being one of the architects of this war. but for him to -- he sort of pulled back. and then said well, i would have done it differently. he is focusing on the way the invasion was carried out. the failure to recognize the insurgency as it did develop, the failure to recognize as he put it the tenacity of saddam's supporters within iraq. but he doesn't address what i think is sort of the most fundamental question which is the basis upon which the war was sold to the american public. >> sure. >> of which wolfowitz, again,
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one of the most vigorous, one of the most outspoken. was absolutely committed to the idea that there were connection between saddam hussein and al qaeda, assertions that turned out to be false. >> a false premise. >> yeah, it's the false premise that i think is -- when people talk about a mea culpa, that's what they probably want to hear most from the architects of the war like wolfowitz. and that, he didn't address. >> you bring up the plural there. the architects. let's talk about those, former vice president dick cheney, he published a book active with the campaign. it's kind of a where are they now moment. condoleezza rice. also published a book. and donald rumsfeld, he published a book. and wolfowitz is chair of the u.s.-taiwan business council and head of the world bank.
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do the players say something about who is and who isn't shouldering blame for the flawed premise to invade? >> it's fascinating to me to compare the track record of these people in the last ten years with what happened to the architects of the vietnam war where robert mcnamara went into the world bank and finally 20 years later talked about it. most stepped back from the stage. so it's strikele to me that we still hear weighing in on public policy people who had proven so wrong, the fundamental argument for the war that it was going to lead to de. >> one thing that's interesting this recent showtime documentary about dick cheney where he talks in reference to this. take a look. >> i don't run around thinking,
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gee, i wish we'd done this. or i wish we'd done that. the world is as you find it, you've got to deal with that. and we get one shot. you don't get do-overs. so i don't spend a lot of time thinking about it. >> so as we look at this, mike, i think in a recent piece you called the iraq war the biggest strategic error since world war ii. >> that was james. >> james, why does the bush administration continue to stand by these decisions and not flinch about all we know right now? >> it may be the character of dick cheney. condoleezza rice has been stepped away from the mainstream. of wolfowitz was fundamentally important to the war and also in the execution of it. he said, while he would have done it differently. he's was the one who dressed
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down. it's the fault of the media and people in our business from not calling into account more than they have been. so that's one of the ongoing mysteries. >> james fouts of the atlantic and michael izicoff. gentlemen, i appreciate it. the msnbc website has the report on what appears to be the first documented case of a descri cyberattack in florida. it involved in the august 14th primary. editor michael broncert joins us live. michael this happened a while back. august 14th, the primary. explain what we've been able to uncover? >> this has been quietly unfolding down in florida since december when a grand jury issued a report looking at a lot of absentee ballot irregulations
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that had gone on. included in that report somebody mentioned they fraudulently used a computer program to obtain absentee ballots. from an i.p. address. the voters in many cases had no idea that the requests were being made in their own name. >> it's not clear whether the bogus requests were to influence a specific race or test the system? >> exactly. that is correct. there have been other taxi previously of like taking down a state department website or something, you know, and just providing information. but this was actually an attack on the voting process itself. so that's the distinction. >> michael, this is just one of the fears of using an online voting system as we look to how voting will change. a story on the website, and some called malware, right? >> correct. >> that can be used to cast votes and spoofing of an election website. so take us through some of the
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situations that can happen. >> well, malware, as you know is widely used already by hackers who are trying to get your credit card information and things like that. so it's not hard to imagine with a few tweaks of the formula, you get that into somebody's e-mail, get them to click on a link. if they're doing online voting then you could create all sorts of havoc that way. you can redirect, change the vote, any number of things, once you got in to make that initial click. the spoofing thing would be a case where you would really direct the traffic, make it look like it was coming from their computer. but udin directing that using your army of botnet in casting a vote. >> is this thing far off in having something properly supervised, technically easy, but properly pure, when it comes to casting a vote? >> i think it is. you know, the security experts have been warning for years that this is a problem. that the systems are not as
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infallible as they need to be to really protect the integrity of the vote. so, as -- you know, there's been a rush to kind of move into this online because it offers such a huge financial advantage for the elections officials, just kind of an ease to get people to vote. so, i think that there is a long way to go to really ensure that these things have the integrity they need to have. >> veil fascinating read. michael, thanks for coming in. >> appreciate it. >> you can read more about this exclusive report. i encourage you to do so on our nbc website. taking a closer look at the white house. the president is expected to announce his new pick for labor secretary in just a few minutes. we're going to take you back to the white house as soon as we see the president come out. stick around. trips. mr. wiggles and curling irons. for the little mishaps you feel, use neosporin to help you heal. it kills germs so you heal four days faster neosporin. also try neosporin eczema essentials.
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welcome back, everybody, as we told you, we want to get you to the east room where the president shows up to nominate his new secretary of labor. it is thomas perez. let's take a listen. >> everybody have a seat. have a seat. now, as i've said before, my top priority as president is doing everything we need to do to make sure that we're growing our
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economy and that we're strengthening our middle class. and as i said in my state of the union address, last month. every day we should be asking ourselves three questions. one, how do we make sure america's a magnet for good jobs. number two, how do we equip people with the skills they need to get those jobs. and number three, how do we make sure that hard work actually pays off in a decent living. these are the challenges that i have instructed my team at the white house and my entire cabinet to focus on. and a position that's instrumental to tackling these challenges is having an outstanding secretary of labor. so, i want to begin by thanking hilda solis and her entire team. including acting secretary seth harris.
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for the outstanding work that they've been doing over the past four years. their efforts at the department of labor have given more young people a chance to earn new skills. more returning vets the chance to find a job, they've looked out for worker safety from construction sites to coal mines. they stood up for workers' rights right s to organize, women's rights to get paid equally for the work that they do. they've done an extraordinary job fighting on behalf of working families across the board. and today, i'm proud to nominate a leader to carry on those efforts as america's next secretary of labor, tom perez.
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like so many americans, tom knows what it's like to climb the ladder of opportunity. he's the son of dominican immigrants. he helped pay his way through college as a garbage collector and working at a the first lawyer in his family. so his story reminds us of this country's promise. that if you're willing to work hard, it doesn't matter who you are, where you come from, what your last name is, you can make it if you try. and tom has made protecting that promise for everybody, the cause of his life. as a civil rights attorney, an aide to senator ted kennedy, a member of the montgomery, maryland county council, tom fought for a level playing field, where hard work and responsibility are rewarded and working families can get ahead. and this is not the first time that he's chosen to be a labor secretary, either. we've got here today governor martin o'malley, and martin appointed tom as secretary of
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maryland's department of labor where he helped implement the country's first statewide living wage law. because he understood that a minimum wage should be a wage that you can live on. in his current role as the head of the u.s. justice department's civil rights division, he fought to open pathways to the work fos for everybody willing to contribute, and he's helped settle some of the largest cases ever on behalf of families targeted by unfair mortgage lending. now while he's tackled plenty of tough issues, tom has also spent a career as a consensus builder. he's worked with ceos, he's worked with labor leaders, he's worked at federal, state and local government levels. and throughout, he understands that our economy works best when the middle class and those working to get into the middle class have the security they need on the job, a democratic voice in the workplace, everybody playing by the same
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set of rules. so tom's knowledge and experience will make him an outstanding secretary of labor. and there's plenty of work to do. we're going to have to work very hard to make sure that folks find jobs with good wages and good benefits. we've got to make sure that our veterans who are returning home from iraq and afghanistan have a chance to put their incredible skills and leadership to work at home. we need to build an immigration system that works for every employee and every family and every business. i'm confident that tom's going to be able to work to promote economic growth. but also make sure that that growth is broad-based. and he's going to be an integral part of our overall economic team. so these are just a few of the many challenges working families out there are facing and where they need an advocate. and tom's the right person for that job. so i hope that the senate will act swiftly to confirm tom so we can work together to address all of these concerns. i want to thank not only tom.
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but his wonderful family for agreeing to take on this new role. i just heard that tom has been coaching basketball and baseball, he doesn't claim to be a great coach, but he brings passion to it. he may end up missing a few of the games over the next several months. but it's going to be for a good cause and i appreciate his family being willing to make these sacrifices as well. with that, i would like to introduce my nominee tore our next secretary of labor, give him a chance to say a few words and again, i'd urge the senate to confirm him as quickly as possible. mr. tom perez. >> thank you. thank you.
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>> thank you very much. thank you, mr. president, for your confidence in me. [ speaking spanish ] >> it is a remarkably humbling and exciting fen none to be here today. my parents taught my four siblings and me to work hard to give back to our community and to make sure that the ladder of opportunity was there for those coming after us. over my career, i've learned that true progress is possible if you keep an open mind, list ton all sides, and focus on results. i look forward to taking these lessons with me, if confirmed, to my new role as secretary of the department of labor. as you well know, our nation still faces critical economic challenges. and the department's mission is as important as ever. i am confident that together
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with our partners in organized labor, the business community, grassroots communities, republicans, democrats, and independents alike, we can keep making progress for all working families. in the coming weeks, as the confirmation process unfolds, i look forward to meeting with senators of both parties to discuss the labor department's key role -- protecting and growing the middle class. i'll close again, mr. president, by thanking you once again for this tremendous opportunity. [ speaking spanish ] >> i look forward to this opportunity to continue serving our nation, thank you so much. the president there introducing thomas perez to be his new secretary of labor. the nomination from mr. perez, his nomination speech, given by
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ling yule, english and spanish. coming from a role where he served as the assistant attorney general for the civil rights division from october of 2009. he does face some head winds moving forward. it will be interesting to watch his nomination go through the confirmation process. i'll be back tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. tomorrow. joining me then on the ten-year anniversary of the iraq war, former congressman patrick murphy. he was the first iraq vet elected to congress and also steny hoyer and jonathan capehart. "now" with alex wagner is coming your way, a special edition from our nation's capitol. we're going to be doing our show bilingually, in washington east. 219, the number of recommendations the gop has come up with to fix what ails them. robert gibbs, neem leaka henderson will discuss whether or not the self-diagnosis will
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work and it's been ten years since the start of the iraq war, rachel maddow will join us what led up to the war that resulted in the loss of hundreds of thousands of lives. and president obama prepares for a middle east charm offensive. all of that when "now" starts in a mere 180 seconds. we've all had those moments. when you lost the thing you can't believe you lost. when what you just bought, just broke. or when you have a little trouble a long way from home... as an american express cardmember you can expect some help. but what you might not expect, is you can get all this with a prepaid card. spends like cash. feels like membership. a brand new start. your chance to rise and shine. with centurylink as your trusted technology partner, you can do just that.